Thursday, August 03, 2017

Credit Where Credit is Due

I've given writer Benjamin Percy a lot of grief for his work on Green Arrow and he's deserved it.

 That's why I feel it important for me to say:

 This week's issue of  Green Arrow is one of the best comic books I have ever read.
Lex spared no expense on his "Steel" costume for the annual Rutland Parade.
And easily one of the best SUPERMAN stories I have ever read.

 Oh, sure, the plot devices are a bit hokey, even for comics (like computer programs that can subliminally affect your emotions).  But the characterization is spot on.  They say you can most easily see a character's, um, character by means of their interaction with others.  And this story does a clear and elegant job of making clear who Green Arrow, Superman, and Lex are in just that way.  Green Arrow stories aren't supposed to make my heart swell with hope and joy; this one did.

 Artist Juan Ferreyra also deserves kudos for his visual storytelling.
I could give you many examples, but this one should suffice.

 So....

 and I can't believe I'm writing this...

 give Benjamin Percy and what he's currently doing a chance by reading this week's Green Arrow (#28).
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8 comments:

  1. cybrid8/03/2017 3:17 PM

    Green Arrow without the hat has one strike against him immediately. But that's just me, of course. ;-)

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  2. Anonymous8/04/2017 8:57 AM

    I am crazy behind in my comics, but it's good to know there is a reward waiting at the bottom of my stack of "Green Arrow". Thanks!

    Speaking of Benjamin Percy books, I think I know how to fix "The Teen Titans", which is something people never quite get right:

    1) It shouldn't be a formal team. That's how adults do things. It should be more a loose association of superheroing teens who sometimes contact one another on cases. For example, Blue Beetle calls up Kid Devil to help on some mission or other, and then they hang out with other teenagers at the Sheetz parking lot.

    2) Teen Titans HQ shouldn't be a massive high-tech structure in the harbor. It ought to be, perhaps, a disused (but still structurally sound) warehouse where Kid Flash contributes an old couch, Blue Beetle donates his Xbox, and so on. It's not even an HQ so much as a convenient place for them to hang out when they feel like being sociable with one another.

    3) As not really a team, they no longer attract foes whose sole motivation is to defeat the team.

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  3. Scipio8/04/2017 11:50 AM

    I agree with your analysis of the TT COMPLETELY.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8/04/2017 7:40 PM

    First, you give a compliment to Denny O'Neil's writing. Then, you give a Green Arrow comic a glowing recommendation. What's next, liking something from Marvel? The day that happens, I'll be checking the sky for falling brimstone.

    - Mike Loughlin

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  5. Scipio8/05/2017 12:31 PM

    http://static.srcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Brimstone-DC.jpg

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  6. Anonymous8/05/2017 3:42 PM

    HA!

    But wait... Brimstone... Blogging about a story in which super-heroes are discredited...

    Has Scipio been replaced by G. Gordon Godfrey?!?!

    - Mike Loughlin

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  7. Slaughter8/05/2017 10:26 PM

    Scipio, I would love to see you take a look at some of the Rebirth comics that make you happy.

    Are you reading New Super-Man? I think its one of the best and most under-estimated comics of Rebirth. Fantastic book, fun protag, fun worldbuilding, good tale, the infusion of eastern thought is very interesting. Its Superman by the way of Journey to the West and Wushu.

    Also, it has I-Ching! You should see it! You know, unlike I-Ching, who can't.

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  8. Scipio8/08/2017 3:16 PM

    Slaughter, I started to read it, but gave up; I found the characters too unlikable.

    But...I Ching? People sniping at I Ching I might enjoy.

    Oops... I said "sniping". I'm sorry, Ching; I forgot...

    ReplyDelete